Forum Moderators: phranque
I've tried different monitors, different settings, and even checked my eyes, and nothing seems to help. It seems like everyone I know doesn't have a problem with this.
How do you all do it? Am I the only one on the earth with this problem?
Keyword research on the Overture search term tool is the *worst*..
Since I got my eyeglasses replaced, new prescription and everything, I haven't had nearly so much of a problem.
I use a laptop with a active matrix screen. I too will get headaches, blurry eyes etc from sitting in front of a CRT monitor. This has solved those problems. :)
I've also heard that having children read/do up-close paper work too much when they are too young can cause bad eyesight, because their eyes do not get enough practice focusing at various distances. If that one's true, it's too late for me anyhow.
Still no need for glasses, and no headaches.
My best suggestion is to buy the best monitor you can afford and run it at at least 85 Hz refresh or buy a flat panel. I'm on the verge of buying a flat panel simply because my office in the corner of the house where the main power comes in and I can't run my monitor above 60 Hz or else it goes wiggy.
No. My eyes are bionic. Sixteen hours in a row is a cakewalk... well, most of the time.* Not only are my eyes the strongest part o' Sean, they are my only incredible feature.
What gives? I don't remember exactly, but my glasses might have come with some kind of option for heavy computer users. Also, I drink a ton of water, which is good for both the hydration and the breaks.
* bionic features guaranteed until I hit the big 30, all bets are off after I reach "the other side" :)
I have used a Mac most of those years and I've heard they are better on the eyes but I haven't researched it. I don't have a special monitor--in fact it's about 6 years old. I keep my monitor about 2 feet in front of my face and a bit downwards--not level with my eyes-- so I don't have to lift my head to read it. I also have a chair with good back support adjusted at the right height and keyboard set so my arms are level from elbows to wrist. It all flows together to make me very comfortable sitting here all day.
After working on a computer all day, my eyes and head ache.
See, it's the "all day" bit that's the problem. It's a combination of lots of things -- screen flicker (50Hz is the norm, 100Hz is expensive but slightly better), intense concentration, fatigue, lack of physical exercise... it all adds up. If your eyesight is not perfect, that makes it 10 times worse (see your optician).
You need frequent breaks (if only a few minutes at a time), fresh air, exercise and sleep. Whatever you do, make sure you have a life. Physical exercise is important: if you sit in front of a computer all day, you will be mentally tired, but not physically -- that can lead to sleep disorders. I try to walk at least a mile or two every day, and I often go out with my friends to the pub or to play pool.
Make sure you eat properly, too, and drink plenty especially in summer (dehydration is a common cause of headaches, and according to some studies most people simply don't drink enough). Take at least one day off in seven when you don't go anywhere near a computer. (If your boss has trouble with that, convert to Judaism and threaten him with the race relations board if he doesn't give you Friday evenings and Saturdays off. ;) )
I am the only one in my family (big Italian family), who doesn't wear glasses....but I think the computer is ruining it.
Also, use Opera and get friendly with the + key (extend thumb out from mouse and press the numeric keypad plus).
Fonts are one of the main reasons that I redid the software here. Of those that have edited their skin (500+), 200 people have increased the font size from 2 to 3 here. That's amazing!
After dorming and being forced to buy a meal plan from the cafeteria which served nice artery clogging cuisine, I grew a liking to whatever small amount of health food they served. I found that drinking a glass of fresh carrot juice at the end of the day helps with my eyes. Or if carrots scare you, vitamin A supplements are another option.
At the moment I've been away from that screen for 5 months and am just using my laptop. Smaller screen - no eye probs. I'm getting a flat screen when I get back.
Of those that have edited their skin (500+), 200 people have increased the font size from 2 to 3 here. That's amazing!
For a 17" monitor, 1024x768 is ever so slightly too high a resolution for most people to read comfortably without straining their eyes.
I also find that if the surrounding light is too bright I get very sore eyes. Lower light seems to stave off the brain aches better.
In my case I think that it was my laptop that ruined my eyes. Since last month I have a serious eye fatigue. Iīve even tried to be in front of my laptop with my sun glasses :)
Damn computers... canīt live with them, canīt live without them...
Sidenote: ClearType = Yum!
I was struggling a lot with eye strain with the old CRT. With the new LCD panel, the strain is almost non-existant. As an added bonus, I'm running the LCD comfortably at a higher resolution (1024x768) which allows me to have more information and graphics on the screen.
Not bad for a member of the bi-focal crowd with advanced glaucoma, huh?
Finally, I recommend a screen with a black bezel. The black surround creates better contrast for the display against it's background.
If you go for a LCD panel, get a good one. Mine is an 18" "reconditioned" (it was as good as new)Sony SDM-M81 from a winning bid of about $800 on Ubid.
The LCD will run at a small fraction the energy cost of a CRT so take that into account when you begin to choke on the cost of a LCD. I figure I save about 30 cents a day ($120 a year ... $360 over anticipated 3-year life of the display) so that takes away some of the pain of the high LCD cost.
I used to work in monochrome all of the time (five to six days a week from seven to ten hours each day) and things started to get yellowish/greenish around their contours.
Gee, and all this time I've been blaming it on the psychedellics.
;o
Only other advice, same as other members, is get a TFT/LCD monitor.
